Sunday, December 28, 2014

This frieze was hand painted by Lena Fransioli, Doug Garrabrants and Brooke Sheldon in 1996. We used reference from Edwardian circus illustrations, early zoo etchings, cartoons and modern photographs, bringing them all into a coherent style.

Saturday, December 27, 2014

I have long been fascinated by runes. A rune can be a mark of magic consequence, they were used from about the 3rd century by Scandinavians and Anglo-Saxons. They are often thought to be of divine origin.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Because it is Christmas eve and we are cooking, I thought it would be a good time to show you this wallpaper pattern which we think looks rather like an American Indian Southwestern design. One day after Lena had baked some fresh bread and the house was filled with that wonderful smell, I noticed how fantastic the top of the loves looked and "voila", here are some of the examples of what I made from them. We hope you are all surrounded by good smells and good people.

Monday, December 22, 2014

This trellis was a custom creation for a customer in Manchester By The Sea, MA. She wanted a lattice on her soffit in the foyer with a hand painted sky showing through. After consulting on the style, we designed it to fit the room and Lena painted a sky for the background. The day of the install I got t call from the paper hanger. The room was a parallelogram, not a rectangle, and he could not get the corners to line up. He continued hanging the room while I designed a corner transition and had it in his hands by 10 am the following morning. Problem solved, job completed on schedule.

We can expand upon this existing pattern to fit your wall or ceiling, or create a entirely new pattern and/ or sky.

Happy holidays to all and to all a good night, Doug & Lena (from Edinburgh, Scotland)

We have used this paper on a piano for Luke Jerram’s “Play Me, I’m Yours” in Boston - 2014, an art piece touring internationally since 2008. You can read about the project on the Design New England web site.

There are several "patterns" available.

Thanks for following, it is fitting that I should post this, one of my favorites, on the day we arrive at Zoë’s flat in Edinburgh. We are here for the remainder of our holiday, through Hogmanay 2014. (That is New Years Eve for you non Scottish types)

Saturday, December 20, 2014

This pattern, created from the fin of a margate, is part of our biophilia collection. Biophilia is a term coined by E.O. Wilson, referring to “an instinctive bond between human beings and other living systems.”

We think it harkens to the gothic cathedral ceilings as seen in the book “Heavenly Vaults”.

Here is a detail of the fin, showing scales through a translucent layer.

Saturday, December 13, 2014

While in London, we have had trouble finding time and wifi connections to post. I'll try to catch up with several posts, when I can. Cheerio.

This acid etched dutch metal leaf (gold) has been inverted into a silver leaf pattern with the aid of a computer. It’s cool color temperature and wrinkled foil leaf look will be right at home in any situation.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

In 1995 we were contracted to make large cracked linen panels, paint grisaille vignettes on them and install them in a Beverly Hills home. These two panels are all we have in reproductions of the panels because, at the time, we were not yet aware of the opportunities that the future would bring in high resolution archival printing.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

This pattern was created from an 1840 silver tea service housed at the Peabody Essex Museum. While it is beautiful when printed on our acid free wall covering, it is astoundingly like real silver when printed on mylar.

Silver (PEM6179) can have repeat as large as 50” x 37”, but we prefer it reproduced at 25%, giving it a 12.5” x 9.25” repeat.